Learn about the challenges of pesticide accumulation in various food products and how Mérieux NutriSciences (MXNS) can help analyze pesticide residues!
Fruits, vegetables, cereals, and animal products are prone to accumulating pesticide residues—sometimes, more than the Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) defined by regulations. Despite proactive production and consumption practices, this accumulation remains a challenge.
Certain pesticide degrades in fruit and vegetable matrices. These metabolites often have similar deleterious effects (as the parent molecule) on human health.
Table 1 shows a selective list of pesticides that could potentially produce metabolites. Mérieux NutriSciences can analyze these pesticides after hydrolysis.
| Free Acid | Residue Definition | Comments on Screening |
|---|---|---|
| 2,4-D | 2,4-D (sum of 2,4-D, its salts, its esters, and its conjugates, expressed as 2,4-D) | |
| 2,4-DB | 2,4-DB (sum of 2,4-DB, its salts, its esters, and its conjugates, expressed as 2,4-DB) | |
| Acibenzolar | Acibenzolar-S-methyl (sum of acibenzolar-S-methyl and acibenzolar acid (free and conjugated), expressed as acibenzolar-S-methyl) | |
| Bispyribac | Bispyribac (sum of bispyribac, its salts, and its esters, expressed as bispyribac) | |
| Dichlorprop | Dichlorprop (Sum of dichlorprop (including dichlorprop-P), its salts, esters, and conjugates, expressed as dichlorprop) | |
| Diclofop | Sum of diclofop-methyl, diclofop acid, and its salts, expressed as diclofop-methyl (sum of isomers) | Hydrolysis is not necessary if Diclofop and Diclofop Methyl are both included in the regular Multi-Pesticides |
| Ethofumesate | Ethofumesate (Sum of ethofumesate, 2-keto–ethofumesate, open-ring-2-keto-ethofumesate and its conjugate, expressed as ethofumesate) | Ethofumesate, and Ethofumesate openring 2-keto have to be individually calibrated in the hydrolysis screening (Ethofumesate 2-keto is hydrolyzed to Ethofumesate openring 2-keto) |
| Fluazifop | Fluazifop-P (sum of all the constituent isomers of fluazifop, its esters and its conjugates, expressed as fluazifop) | |
| Fluroxypyr | Fluroxypyr (sum of fluroxypyr, its salts, its esters, and its conjugates, expressed as fluroxypyr) | |
| MCPA and MCPB | MCPA and MCPB (MCPA, MCPB including their salts, esters and conjugates expressed as MCPA) | |
| Pyridate | Pyridate (sum of pyridate, its hydrolysis product CL 9673 (6-chloro-4-hydroxy-3-phenylpyridazin) and hydrolysable conjugates of CL 9673 expressed as pyridate) | CL 9673 aka Pyridafol is the compound to be calibrated in the hydrolysis screening |
| Quizalofop | Quizalofop (sum of quizalofop, its salts, its esters (including propaquizafop) and its conjugates, expressed as quizalofop (any ratio of constituent isomers)) |
Citrus fruits also cause hydrolytic degradation of pesticide residues.
Table 2 shows a list of citrus fruits identified by Mérieux NutriSciences.
| Citrus products | Scientific Name |
Citrus Products |
Scientific Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grapefruits | Citrus paradisi | Buddha’s hands/Buddha’s fingers | Citrus medica var. sarcodactyla |
| Natsudaidais | Citrus natsudaidai | Citrons | Citrus medica |
| Shaddocks / pomelos | Citrus maxima; Syn.: Citrus grandis | Limes | Citrus aurantiifolia |
| Sweeties / oroblancos | Citrus grandis x Citrus paradisi | Indian sweet limes/Palestine sweet limes | Citrus limettioides |
| Tangelos | Citrus paradisi x tangelo | Kaffir limes | Citrus hystrix |
| Tangelos (except minneolas) / Ugli | Citrus tangelo | Sweet limes | Citrus limetta |
| Oranges | Citrus sinensis | Tahiti limes | Citrus latifolia |
| Bergamots | Citrus bergamia | Limequats | Citrus aurantiifolia x Fortunella spp. |
| Bitter oranges / sour oranges | Citrus aurantium | Mandarins | Citrus reticulata; Syn.: Citrus deliciosa |
| Blood oranges | Citrus sinensis | Calamondins | Citrus madurensis |
| Cara caras | Citrus sinensis | Clementines | Citrus clementina |
| Chinottos | Citrus myrtifolia | Cleopatra mandarins | Citrus reshni |
| Trifoliate oranges | Poncirus trifoliata | Minneolas | Citrus tangelo |
| Lemons | Citrus limon | Satsumas/clausellinas | Citrus unshiu |
| Tangerines / clancy mandarins | Citrus tangerina | Tangors | Citrus nobilis |
How Can Mérieux NutriSciences Help?
We are enhancing our testing capacities, capabilities, and validated commodities to address these challenges. We have been at the forefront of pesticide residue analysis to fulfill our mission to protect the health of our customers. Analytical methods developed by our experts, based on European and North American standards, are validated to detect and quantify (even) parts per billion levels of pesticide residues.
Contact us and view our Pesticides Kit.
